With the shop being busy as usual, we haven’t posted a build thread in a while. Thought it might be about time to change that. I have been looking for a clean, unmodified first generation 4runner to replace the little blue shop truck. After a long search I purchased this 1985 4Runner off another member of this forum. It was fairly clean, only some minor rust damage in the rear fenders, had low miles (125K), but had an engine in it that had dropped its timing chain. Since it needed the work, the price was right, so I jumped on it.

The 4Runner must be in decent condition as it started attracting a lot of attention. People were stopping in to inquire about it. One of those people is a very good friend and client. He was able to convince me that he needed/wanted it more than I did, and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Then we sat down and figured out a build plan for it based on his budget. He has some pretty lofty (read expensive) goals, so the plan includes a couple different phases that can be completed as funds become available.

Phase 1: Making it road worthy

With the timing chain being broken in the motor, and not knowing the details of the rest of the internals of the motor, we made the decision to pull the motor and replace it with a good running, low mileage motor we had taking up space in the shop. Got the old one out and the new one installed and running in under 4 hours, and even with having to swap engine wiring harnesses around, it was a new shop record for me. But in my haste, I didn’t take many photos. The next morning I was able to run it down to our local Air Care Colorado emissions testing center and got it to pass emissions flawlessly.

With the 4Runner finally running well, we are able to move forward with build. 4Runners offer quite a bit for those looking for a fairly capable rig right from the factory. And some would argue that the 1985 model year would be the most capable of them all as it offered not only fuel injection, a boxed frame, and the normal Toyota ruggedness, but also a highly desirable solid front axle.

Our client’s wish list for this phase includes lift enough to handle 35” tires, with the slight possibility of going to 37” tires at some point. The 4Runner would still need to be able to drive down the road and handle like it did from the factory, if not better. It needed the stock “push/pull” steering upgraded to crossover. He wanted selectable lockers with appropriate gearing front and rear. Wanted custom armor all around, to include both bumpers, sliders, and a simple cage tied to the frame for the front passengers. We took these desires and total budget into consideration when putting together the components list.

We decided to go with Trail Gear’s Classic 4” lift for the front and rear. They offer a fairly complete kit that includes things like IFS steering box mount, shock hoops, axle armor and truss, and complete crossover Hi-steering, as well as new, wider and longer leaf springs all around and all new hangers, shackles, shocks, stainless brake lines, and most hardware needed. Then we would install ARB air lockers front and rear with 5.29 gearing to help move and give traction to the new larger tires.. To all this we would add an IFS steering box, a set of 35” Dick Cepek tires on new FJ wheels, Spidertrax 1.5” wheel spacers all ‘round to finish out the suspension components.

We would then be fabricating a custom plate style front bumper, a custom set of sliders, and a 4 point cage that will be tied into the frame with bushings. And we will be finishing off the armor with a slightly modified rear Trail Gear bumper. And of course we can’t forget to mention that our client wanted us to take care of any and all rust. And he also wanted some custom bedliner work for the interior and lower sections of the body.

Received the first shipment of goods from Trail Gear, lift kits and bumper:

Then started removing the original spare tire assembly. The factory chain hoist that holds the spare is still in perfect working order. Amazing, since these are usually locked up, and/or destroyed by rust. Gotta love an original Colorado Car!

Something that is not included in the kit are steering stop reinforcements. And most will tell you they are a must with larger tires and from the abuses shown through wheeling. So we quickly made up some and tacked the into place

Incredible. But why did the front spring hangers have to come off? perhaps that will be revealed later... Really impressive, will be sweet to see come together!

J Kimmel

11-19-2013, 07:06 AM

I can't speak for Aaron, but factory hangers are thin and weak. When I put one tons under mine (long before linking it) I did the same thing. Aftermarket hangers are WAY beefier and up to the task of bigger tires, etc

simps80

11-19-2013, 11:49 AM

sweet tech thread!

Brucker

11-19-2013, 11:42 PM

Wow! This is awesome!

sweet tech thread!

Incredible. But why did the front spring hangers have to come off? perhaps that will be revealed later... Really impressive, will be sweet to see come together!

Thanks for the kind words. And Jeremy hit the nail on the head when it comes to the factory hangers.

And not liking the way one knuckle moved, we double checked our preload set by shims using a scale. Facotry manual states it should be set at 15lbs of resistance but we are happy with the 14.5 lbs we have:

Nice catch and good question! It's funny, I remembered to make mention that I thought I over shimmed a knuckle as it felt too tight and even highlighted rechecking them but never made mention of installing new the hardware. So the downside to updating the thread, is that the only time I have to do so is late at night and in doing so, I sometimes make mistakes and skip over parts of the build. I can assure you that all new trunnion bearings and shims were used. We will be installing new bearings, seals, etc, all the way around.

Brucker

11-21-2013, 10:18 PM

Installed new seals and then both side axle shafts and birfs with plenty of grease. Always a messy job.

To create some working room, we unbolt the radiator from its supports but still leave it connected entirely to the motor so we won't lose any fluids. Then we gentle lift it out of our way using a strap and an engine host:

The new shackles include all new bushings and grease-able hardware. Some are not huge fans of the grease-able bolts as they are inherently weaker than a solid bolt. But our experience has shown that they are more than strong enough in this application. And that people are more likely to maintain (grease) their bushings when it is so easy for them to do so.

Then remove the fuel tank after marking each side of all the lines with different colored tape to assure perfect reassembly. May seem a tad unnecessary but this is done so there will be no confusion later.

We lay out the new mounting positions for each spring hanger as per TG's instructions and tack weld them into place. TG offers two different mounting locations for the shackle hangers. One for the pickup (lighter applications) and one for the 4Runners (heavier applications). But based on our experience with these kits we chose to ignore both recommendations and located them to our own specifications. This will lead to a better shackle angle and take care of the "rear sag" problems most 4Runners have when all is said and done.

We will fully weld everything at a later date after some test fitting.

Brucker

12-03-2013, 11:58 PM

On to the rear axle. This one goes a lot quicker than the front. But we also won't be finishing it up completely right now. We will be stripping it down and then just tack welding the new spring perches until we can get in under the vehicle to set the correct pinion angle. We start by setting the axle up on stands which are on top of one of our rolling work surfaces.

Somewhere along the way of this 4Runner's life, she got an aftermarket exhaust system. The rear hanger for it will interfere with the new shackle hanger location. So we removed the exhaust hanger until we can determine how it needs to be modified.

Sweet! slight correction I believe those are FZJ80 rims, not FJ Cruiser rims. But who cares, nice work man. :bowdown:

Brucker

12-04-2013, 02:10 PM

Sweet! slight correction I believe those are FZJ80 rims, not FJ Cruiser rims. But who cares, nice work man. :bowdown:

Thank you for the kind words. :beer:

The rims may be originally off an 80, though I pulled them off a stock FJ Cruiser. Guess I just assumed they were OEM for that year. Thanks for the heads up.

rover67

12-04-2013, 02:20 PM

Lookin' good!! I dig the step by step!

Brucker

12-04-2013, 02:37 PM

Lookin' good!! I dig the step by step!

Thanks. Got a LONG way to go before I get this one out of the shop though. And the owner just added on another couple of things he wants done this time around. He is very happy with the way things are coming together, which makes me happy. And the next couple of steps of this build are the more enjoyable ones for me. The custom fabrication stuff, where I get to be creative. Good times!

simps80

12-04-2013, 02:57 PM

the step by step is awesome.

Brucker

12-05-2013, 10:46 PM

Missed highlighting this one with the front axle. Installed the tie rod into the hi-steer arms. Left the drag link out until we install the steering box. I will let the photos do the explaining

Time to install the rear bumper. We chose to go with the Trail Gear rear bumper as it was priced low but still offered plenty of protection. The owner would like to have something custom made to replace it on a later date, so we will be leaving it alone (no modifications), except for coating it in paint.

There are plenty more photos of the entire build thus far here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.631275600216163.1073741850.230593130284414&type=3

Next week we should be able to get into the fun stuff, some custom fabrication!

Brucker

12-09-2013, 11:03 PM

Before we can start working on a front bumper, we need to strengthen the front cross member/spring hanger/frame section. To complete this we will fabricate a support plate for the area and weld it into place. This will add the needed strength as well as tie everything together neatly.

We begin by cleaning the area in question up and taking down the high spots in the existing welds in order for the new plate to fit properly.

Hope to be able to start on the front bumper design and fabrication soon. The shop is still crazy busy and other projects seem to keep taking precedence. The owner also just added another couple things to the "must do" list for us this time around. More details soon :evil:

Brucker

12-17-2013, 07:20 PM

Our client prefers plate style bumpers over most tube style bumpers. But he doesn't like what is currently available on the market (too big and bulky like the ones made by ARB). So he gave us the green light to let our creative shine and dream up and fabricate something just for him.

Here are the few guidelines he gave us:

-must be a plate style bumper
-must have accommodations for some flush mount lightning
-must offer great protection while staying close and tight
-prefers open winch design over it being enclosed
-Use an XRC8000 winch with synthetic line

While trying to take everything into account, we are able to come up with a rough idea of what we are after. Though, keep in mind we are going to be creating this on the fly so things may change as we go. I will let the photos do most of the talking, but will try to highlight some areas with some more explanation. But as always, if you have any questions as to why we did something a certain way or about anything really, just ask.

We start by designing a simple "backbone" for the bumper that will be bolted directly to the frame

Now with the addition of the aluminum hawse fairlead. The front bumper is starting to take shape, though, keep in mind that we are making this one up as we go. This means you might see a few changes as we progress.

Way cool! Excellent progress and thanks again for such a great thread.

mikeyhcrana

12-18-2013, 09:40 AM

How much for another bumper just like that?

It would be so awesome if you sold pieces as a kit one could weld himself!

Brucker

12-18-2013, 03:45 PM

Way cool! Excellent progress and thanks again for such a great thread.

Thank you for the kind words. :beer:

How much for another bumper just like that?

It would be so awesome if you sold pieces as a kit one could weld himself!

As a rule I never reveal what a client has paid for work done. If they feel like sharing, I have no problem with it, but it is up to them. I do however offer estimates or quotations, which are ballpark figures. If you would like a real estimate written up for your vehicle, call me at the shop and I would be happy to do so.

Custom work is expensive, though I have been told I have a fairly low shop rate for Boulder County. My shop rate is $80/hour and I charge for all time and materials. For this bumper, including all design, fabrication, and coating, I will have between 30-50 total hours into it when it is all said and done.

I have no plans to date of ever producing a bumper like this again. It is a custom one-off. To date, I don't offer any product lines or have any plans to. I enjoy doing the custom stuff, so that is what I do. Luckily, I have been able to maintain a full and busy schedule since I started. And hopefully it will stay that way.

If you have the knowledge and abilities it would take to properly weld together a bumper like this from kit form, you should easily be able to make one from scratch, thus, not needing a kit. Everything I have done besides the plate bending could be done with a tape measure, straightedge, drill, cut off disc and grinder (or any other metal cutting equipment), welder, and a sander. I just may use different equipment because I happen to own something that may make one of those processes quicker and/or easier, or I feel more comfortable with one over another. And the plate bending isn't needed. You could just cut and miter and weld everything together.

Hope that this helps.

rover67

12-18-2013, 04:04 PM

Looks sweet! Live dangerously and make the wings of the bumper air tanks!

Brucker

12-18-2013, 10:36 PM

Picking up from where we left off, we add the last couple of inner vertical supports to each side

Will you be fabbing up a plate-type rear bumper to go with the front, or is client keeping the tube-type on the back from earlier in the thread?

Brucker

12-19-2013, 04:35 PM

Will you be fabbing up a plate-type rear bumper to go with the front, or is client keeping the tube-type on the back from earlier in the thread?

The rear bumper is staying put this time around. The plan is to build a custom one for the rear at a later date when funds allow. As mentioned earlier in the thread, we purchased the TG rear based off it's price compared to it's protection offered. Best bang for the buck. So he won't be out that much once it gets replaced. He would eventually like a custom rear that has a tire carrier, Hi Lift mount, and provisions for jerry cans and the like.

Brucker

12-19-2013, 11:13 PM

The last pieces that we will add while the bumper is on the vehicle are the D ring (or shackle) mounts. Not only will they provide the obvious, they also will provide a LOT of strength and rigidity to the winch tray itself. We use our mill to cut the desired thru hole size.

We didn't have the right tubing in stock for the next parts. So instead of ordering a whole stick of material and having to wait on it's delivery of next week, we decided to cut our own. We happened to have some thicker walled tubing of the same OD which we could easily modify. So we put a length into one of our lathes and went to work:

With the tubing now having the correct ID, we pull it out of the lathe and part off the two pieces we need using a horizontal band saw so the lathe could get back to work on making the parts we had interrupted.

Our focus turns towards making the mounting plates for the flush mount lighting from Rigid Industries. We have used their products on multiple builds now and they have yet to disappoint. Some of the best lighting, if not the best, you can buy. Here is a shot from an earlier build showing what one of their 50" light bars can do:

On this bumper we will be using a set of their Dually D2 driving lights. They won't pack quite the punch as the 50" above, but should produce more than enough illumination for our needs. Here is one fresh out of the package:

BTW, I'm looking at some lighting options. would you mind posting up pics of these small guys when you get them all done, similar to the light bar? Just so we can see how far and bright they are. I really like the idea of small compact lights.

Cheers!

Brucker

12-29-2013, 11:17 PM

Beefy! I dig it.

LOVE the flush mounted light work. That is a killer idea.

Thanks for the kind words

Brucker

12-29-2013, 11:18 PM

With the bumper still clamped to the fab table, we cut another set of plates to be used as inner gusseting. These will be positioned along the front faces and the winch tray. It will give added support if/when we decide to put a hoop onto the bumper for extra winch and radiator protection.

The next steps would include finishing the backbone of the bumper. This will require a slight modification to what already exists. So we need to unclamp it from the fab table. After doing so, I decided to add in the caps for the angle iron pieces on the front face. So I cut the 4 pieces needed and tack welded them into place

Then bent up some round rod to finish out the top of the front face. Once fully welded into place and getting smoothed out, it will not only add strength, but a clean, finished look of a rolled edge. Here is the rod tack welded into position

Then I fully welded the inside of the bumper together. This will allow us to be able to safely sand out/smooth out all the visible welds without losing any strength. Once the bumper had fully cooled, we pull it off the fab table and install it once again onto the 4Runner. This should be our last test fit if it didn't wrap during welding and if we got all our frame and body clearances right. Here it is installed

My only critique would be regarding the box the winch sits in. Seems like it needs a big drain hole. I could see that filling up with mud, water gravel, etc. with no easy way to keep it cleared out.

Brucker

01-06-2014, 04:11 PM

That's looking fantastic. :thumb:

Thanks for the kind words :beer:

My only critique would be regarding the box the winch sits in. Seems like it needs a big drain hole. I could see that filling up with mud, water gravel, etc. with no easy way to keep it cleared out.

Good catch! If that's your only critique thus far, you must not be looking close enough ;)

While the major fabrication of the bumper is complete, it is a long way from being finished. As was pointed out, it still needs drain hole(s), as well as weld washers around the winch mounting holes, lots more sanding/clean up, the possible addition of a hood hoop/stinger, and we will be tying in the back of the bumper into the shock hoops at some point.

Shotshell

01-06-2014, 04:15 PM

That looks sick! :thumb: I like it, a lot.

Brucker

01-06-2014, 10:49 PM

That looks sick! :thumb: I like it, a lot.

Thanks.

One of the main goals in fabricating the bumper was to try to keep the added weight to a minimum. Some tube bumpers can weigh as little as 60 lbs, and knowing that some plate bumpers can come close to 200 lbs. Here is how ours' fared.

Coming in at 93 lbs makes us happy. A tad heavier than we were shooting for, but well under the ARB at 160 lbs and even better than Body Amour Products plate style bumper which comes in right at 100 lbs.

What do you use to grind? Flapwheels, hard wheels, paper discs, etc? I am always looking for new ways to smooth things out.

Brucker

01-07-2014, 03:45 PM

Looks fantastic!!!

What do you use to grind? Flapwheels, hard wheels, paper discs, etc? I am always looking for new ways to smooth things out.

Thank you for the kind words.

I usually use one of my large Makita 7" or 9" angle grinders outfitted with 7" flap disc from Heleta (use the 7" because I haven't found a 9" one). The bigger grinders are a lot heavier, but it doesn't take as much force or time to take the material off, so your arms don't really get tired quicker. And then I switch out to a complete 4.5" set up for the rest of the rough sanding. Then use one or more different styles of DA sanders for the finish work.

Here is a look at the difference between the more common 4.5" flap disc and the larger 7":

Next up is the body work, cage and lining the interior with Herculiner. All of which will require most of the interior, as well as the top to be removed. We start with the top. Simply rig the top to be lifted by our overhead hoist, and lift up and away:

Time for some cage work. This time around, the client wanted a simple 4 point interior cage. By 4 point, we are referring to the amount of points the cage will be tied into the frame. It will be constructed out of DOM round tubing and tied into the frame using bushings. We will also be tying in the factory roll bar to the new tube work, stiffening the entire chassis. Eventually the plan is to eliminate the factory portions with new DOM throughout and adding 2 to 4 more frame tie in points.

Start off by making a few different sets of cage feet. Two sets for the A pillar and two sets for the B pillar; an interior set at each pillar as well as an exterior set. The difference between the interior plates and the exterior ones are the length and width dimensions. Having one side lager than the other will help keep the cage from easily shearing through the body during impact. Below we show on set of cage feet.

Taking into account the very limited interior space, and the fact that the client wants to be able to still be able to fully use his seats (including being able to still flip the back seat down, completely flat), we bend up the first bars. The floor bars will be just that. They will connect the A pillar to the B pillar on each side along the floor. The rest of the cage will then be built off these tubes. After bending up the bars we begin to fit them into place:

Once the bars have cooled enough, we unbolt and remove them for the vehicle and finish welding them solid. He is a photo of the two bars once fully welded, cleaned up, and ready for install. You will notice each bar is bent in a different shape to accommodate each side's different mounting brackets.

Nice work. Bumper looks great and less bulky than an ARB. I prefer the bull bar because I wanted front end protection (and God knows having been in a couple of accidents they /do/ the job of preventing damage to the hood, grill and radiator).

For reference the standard issue ARB for my '91 IFS was about 80 lbs before putting a winch in it, the 140 lbs is I believe a fully loaded ARB with the winch. That's at least about what mine weights with an XD9000 and synthetic rope. Since you've eliminated the top hoops you've got the equivalent steel in the bracing, so it should be uber substantial.

Brucker

01-29-2014, 01:18 PM

For reference the standard issue ARB for my '91 IFS was about 80 lbs before putting a winch in it, the 140 lbs is I believe a fully loaded ARB with the winch. That's at least about what mine weights with an XD9000 and synthetic rope. Since you've eliminated the top hoops you've got the equivalent steel in the bracing, so it should be uber substantial.

Thanks. Though the last 3 ARB bumpers that came through my shop all were between 150-165 lbs shipping weight, which didn't include any accessories like lights or winch. And that weight is also what ARB and TransAmerican lists most of their fronts at for shipping. I haven't brought one in for a 1st gen so they might be lighter, though yours isn't a first generation either so who knows? And I would honestly have to check if they make one for the first gens.

We were shooting for around 80 lbs before any accessories. Came in a tad high (13 lbs over) but we are still happy. There may still be a hoop added to the top of the bumper but that depends on the owners tastes. We actually played with a couple different styles (if you follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BruckerBrothersLtd, you would have seen a couple different attempts at fitting some hoops to it) and we couldn't find one that the owner was happy with yet. He for now has taken that off the build sheet, but that honestly seems to be changing everyday.

Brucker

01-29-2014, 01:21 PM

Beautiful work!

Looks good, but I'd stick with the high pile carpet. Totally rad! :D

Thanks for the kind words. The shop is crazy busy as always and I need to make some time to go through all the photos so I can update this thread further. Hope to be able to before the weeks out.

DaveInDenver

01-29-2014, 02:32 PM

Thanks. Though the last 3 ARB bumpers that came through my shop all were between 150-165 lbs shipping weight, which didn't include any accessories like lights or winch. And that weight is also what ARB and TransAmerican lists most of their fronts at for shipping. I haven't brought one in for a 1st gen so they might be lighter, though yours isn't a first generation either so who knows? And I would honestly have to check if they make one for the first gens.

We were shooting for around 80 lbs before any accessories. Came in a tad high (13 lbs over) but we are still happy. There may still be a hoop added to the top of the bumper but that depends on the owners tastes. We actually played with a couple different styles (if you follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BruckerBrothersLtd, you would have seen a couple different attempts at fitting some hoops to it) and we couldn't find one that the owner was happy with yet. He for now has taken that off the build sheet, but that honestly seems to be changing everyday.
You could very well be right, I'm using the 'man-calibrated' bathroom scale method. ARB does (or did, no idea if they still do) make a bumper for the 84-88 trucks but not for the 1st gen 4WD 79-83 AFAIK.

Brucker

01-30-2014, 11:10 PM

Finally found a little more time to go through some more of the photos so I can update this thread.

Before we could move on to the passenger side, we needed to remove the factory grab handle. And since we were dismantling something already we also removed factory rear view mirror. This will be replaced by a more modern unit which features a built in compass and temperature gauge. We will be filling in the holes that will be left of with small sheet metal plates.

wow, that is one of the cleanest interior cages i've seen, well done! i dont have any experience building cages, but i'm wondering how strong it is w/o being tied into the frame?

Brucker

02-05-2014, 01:21 PM

wow, that is one of the cleanest interior cages i've seen, well done! i dont have any experience building cages, but i'm wondering how strong it is w/o being tied into the frame?

Thank you for the kind words. As for being tied into the frame, I just haven't gotten there yet. Heck the cage isn't even fully welded together yet. If you read back (I know, lots to go through) I already went over the cage plan and specs. Here is what I wrote back on the last page in post #74:

Time for some cage work. This time around, the client wanted a simple 4 point interior cage. By 4 point, we are referring to the amount of points the cage will be tied into the frame. It will be constructed out of DOM round tubing and tied into the frame using bushings. We will also be tying in the factory roll bar to the new tube work, stiffening the entire chassis. Eventually the plan is to eliminate the factory portions with new DOM throughout and adding 2 to 4 more frame tie in points.

Hope that this helps.

Hulk

02-05-2014, 04:51 PM

It's so tightly fitted, I've been wondering if you'll be able to paint it once it's all done.

liveoffroad

02-07-2014, 08:13 AM

Hope that this helps.
It does, thank you... looking forward to see how this turns out.

rover67

02-07-2014, 08:29 AM

It's so tightly fitted, I've been wondering if you'll be able to weld it once it's all done.

fixed it for you

Brucker

02-07-2014, 03:48 PM

It's so tightly fitted, I've been wondering if you'll be able to paint/weld it once it's all done.

fixed it for you

Crap, never thought about having to fully weld all the joints! Whatever will we do? :confused:

Honestly though, I can't give away all my fabrication secrets. If I did there wouldn't be a need for me or my business anymore.

J/K If you believe that load of crap, I got some great land to sell ya :D But I do firmly believe that being able to easily answer questions like this is one of the many reasons me and my business have been able to stay as busy as we do.

As for welding the cage fully, if I didn't, it wouldn't be a proper or even close to safe, cage. Never, and I mean never, think it is ok to skip welding any part of any joint when it comes to structural cages.

The tube work will be welded in certain areas, then disassembled into various larger pieces (rear spreaders, then B pillar, the A pillar complete with cross bars and center spreader, the floor bars will be the last pieces out), then the welding of the unreachable areas will take place. The different pieces will be coated in primer, then paint (except for the areas that will be effected by any welding still needed), then reinstalled, finished welded, and finished painted. The cage will not be able to be removed from the vehicle once it is fully welded, without cutting something apart.

Hope that this answers your questions.

rover67

02-07-2014, 08:49 PM

yeah wasn't saying you weren't going to weld it all just that it is not easy.

I am familiar with the type of work.

Brucker

02-07-2014, 10:51 PM

yeah wasn't saying you weren't going to weld it all just that it is not easy.

I am familiar with the type of work.

Hmmm... My mistake then. I thought I answered your question of, "been wondering if you'll be able to weld it once it's all done?". To which I based my response.

The work is actually fairly easy. As easy as any tube work really. So I guess you mean that there are just more steps involved than say fabricating a cage for something without a top. Which you would be correct. But there really is not that many more steps.